‘The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion’—— Albert Camus Nigeria – and it is worrisome - is returning to the better forgotten military era when the common enemy of the country was the head of the military junta. The repressive General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd) really messed Nigeria up and the crisis of democratic values currently faced by the country is still being… Read more

'….The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country'----Franklin D. Roosevelt It is no news that the commencement of distribution of the third phase of PVC in Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Imo and nine other states has been quite problematic. Apart from the lamentations of inhabitants of other states, yours sincerely’s experience in Lagos while trying to obtain the card was shattering - and it is worth… Read more

Since my Advanced Level study years at the Ogun State Polytechnic (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic), Abeokuta, in the mid-eighties, I had come to admire one of the quotes in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s (1803-1882) "The Conduct of Life." The edifying book is a collection of essays published in 1860. Emerson was the first American author known to receive payment for delivering a talk when he was paid $5 and oats for his horse. The quote, which can be found on page… Read more

‘The ruling political machine triumphs because it is united minority acting against a divided majority’ - Will Durant Personally, l doff my hat for those progressive leaders of APC for their selfless pursuit of their party’s registration to a fruitful end; and particularly their current open door policy that is garnering more followership for the party across the country: They sacrificed their self-interests and endured personal discomforts. When it looked as if the set goal of registration was impossible; when… Read more

Nigeria clocked 54 over two days ago but the search for that great leader with the capacity to inspire the country to greatness continues. To this column, the pertinent questions are:Where in Nigeria is the opposition that is the blaze that tempers the rapier and the frost that calms fiery rage? Where is effective opposition of the mould that the nation could learn from? These questions are what political opposition in year 2015 should provide answers for as subtle planning… Read more

‘The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard’ ————Gaylord Nelson Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was that quintessential English philosopher who is best known for his political thought on the problem of social and political order. He wrote about how human beings could live together in peace so as to avoid civil conflict through his advocacy of obedience to an unaccountable sovereign that could be… Read more

“The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.” -- Jane Addams Tear-jerking events on the Boko Haram-led battle field are happening with tumultuous speed. And so bothersome is the fact that the more they happen, the more the impenitent insurgent sect befuddles the people of a nation under siege. More puzzling is the fact that the insurrection against the Nigerian state has unravelled the ingrained… Read more

‘I have learned to hate all traitors, and there is no disease that I spit on more than treachery.’ ----Aeschylus (525 BC – 456 BC) This column has sturdily believed that the current inscrutable myth behind the Boko Haram rebellion would be unravelled one day, but when that would happen is what remains cloudy. Blissfully, a salient layer of deceit on its operations was torn last week when an Australian exploded by revealing scintillating clues about the likely characters behind… Read more

‘If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin’ - Samuel Adams’ In recent times, a flurry of heart-rending events has questioned the profundity of patriotism among Nigerians. The latest of such, despite the face-saving denial by Defence Headquarters (DHQs), was what passed for a theatre of the absurd: The report that the 480 Nigerian soldiers deployed… Read more

Those who say that life is worth living at any cost have already written an epitaph of infamy, for there is no cause and no person that they will not betray to stay alive.' -----Sidney Hook The crass degeneration of values that has hooked the contemporary Nigerian society by the jugular must be of serious concern to right-thinking Nigerians. As a bona fide Yoruba son, yours sincerely is worried to the marrow. Reason: The menace is getting dangerously pronounced and… Read more

"Mankind will never see an end of trouble until... lovers of wisdom come to hold political power, or the holders of power... become lovers of wisdom"-Plato, The Republic Without equivocation, the Osun State governorship election has become history, but the fact remains indubitable that for long, it will remain one epic election that gave so much goose pimple to both the progressive and conservative political camps in the country. After the defeat of progressive-inclined All Progressives Congress (APC) in the… Read more

"Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters" ----- Abraham Lincoln Is it true that voters must have faith in the electoral process for our democracy to succeed? If this is correct, then could it be rightly said that voters in this country genuinely have faith in the ongoing Professor Attahiru Jega-tutored electoral process? Then, how far… Read more

‘The only conduct that merits the drastic remedy of impeachment is that which subverts our system of government or renders the president/governors unfit or unable to govern’ - Charles Ruff The kernel of this discourse is informed by Governor Sullivan Chime’s acceptance of responsibility for the ongoing malicious attempt to laughably impeach Sunday Onyebuchi, his deputy for keeping poultry in government house among other puerile allegations. Hear his imperial majesty Chime: ‘I gave him the option to resign. It has… Read more